forum: Food & Drink

Cooking for one - how exciting

Hey folks. Silver76 from sydney here, just moved out of home at 30 hehehe and though wow better learn to cook on a budget. Hmmmm been out two weeks now and cheese on toast is getting a little bit boring. So i am now having a look on the internet to see about cooking for one person on a budget - there doesnt seem to be much out there but did come across you guys so i would really appreciate any recipes that you know of when cooking for one. Obviously i am looking for something fairly simple.

Re: Cooking for one - how exciting

ah - the joys of cooking for one - i know it well!!

i write a menu each week so i buy only what i need from the supermarket. as i used to go on the way home from work, i'd be hungry and end up back home with biscuits, chocolate, crisps and other nonsense i didn't go in for!! I don't stick rigidly to the menu in that monday = egg and chips, tuesday = pasta, repeat to fade...... but i have 4-5 meals a week set.

so enough on the budgeting - recipes for one - i tend to make things which will do more than one night - for example, i'l make a bolognaise sauce to have spag bol one night and then use the other half to make a lasagne the next night; or roast chicken one night and a stir fry with the leftover the next. Or, i've started making batches of stuff like chilli, bolognaise, and freezing it - so when i come home from a day of work i can just defrost it and cook some pasta or rice.

Re: Cooking for one - how exciting

I usually make soup with bread or pasta when cooking just for 1. Soup is soo easy, most vegetables make great soups, just boil them in stock with some 'flavorours' like leeks, onion, bay leaf and carrot. Take out the bay leaf and serve right away or puree with a (hand) blender. A lentil soup is easily made with these ingredients (cook for 45 minutes), or pumpkin soup (cook for 30 minutes), or vegetable soup with tiny meatballs...

As for pasta recipes: a basic tomato sauce is a good start, you can add vegetables or meat to taste.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Simmer on low fire for about 5 minutes, add the other ingredients except water. Simmer for aprox 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little water to keep it moist and leave for 10 minutes to cool (still covered)You can also make this in larger quantities and freeze.

You can add bacon right in the beginning for extra flavour, or add some canned tuna 5 minutes before it's done. You can also start (after the onion)by lightly frying up 100 grs of ground beef seasoned with s&p, then adding the other ingredients. Or top it off with panfried and sliced chicken fillet (season with s&p, paprika and maybe even a little balsamic vinegar)Some vegetables are great with this sauce, like steamed green beans (steam for 7 minutes), sliced and pan fried zucchini, sliced and pan fried eggplant (use lots of olive oil and s&p and fry until lightly browned) or grilled fennel with red onion.

I hope I could help a little, I think it might be a good investment to buy a 'beginners' cook book, to help you understand certain logics in preparing food.

Re: Cooking for one - how exciting

InstructionsPlace the chopped avocados in an electric blender or food processor and puree. Add the half and half and blend well. Combine the chicken stock with the avocado puree in a bowl, stirring well. Pass the mixture through a sieve, then stir in the hot pepper sauce, and add salt and black pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Re: Cooking for one - how exciting

i like the idea of recycling the leftovers the next day.

i lived alone for three yrs and never cooked for one, make enough curry or bolognaise sauce etc for 2 or 3 days then freeze the unused stuff in portions, next time round just nuke it and PRESTO!!! job done.

otherwise do rice or pasta for 2 days, have chicken with it one day and steak the next.

Re: Cooking for one - how exciting

we recently had a discussion about prices for cooking only for one.I was trying to explain my colleagues about the unused stuff and everything.

THey just complain that the price you pay is the same that you will pay for trash food around the corner. I was trying to explain about the quality of the ingredients... well... , a discussion never ending.... THey really lack of interest... they are not interested in food or even eating decently... hehe !

pitty of me, trying to suggest them to eat decently known stuff made by thyself...

Re: Cooking for one - how exciting

Cooking batches and freezing is one thing.

Another thing is to see to that you don't have to throw so much away. I you need only half of a thing make sure you can use it up in another dish or freeze it separetly (eg. cream can be frozen and then used in sauces later, wine can be frozen in ice cube trays and used for cooking etc. ).

In many ways cooking for one is not the hard part. Eating by yourself is often the worst part. (Been there after I moved out from home. Inviting someone every now and then can help - either take turns or cook together.) And when you do eat alone all the time make sure you don't let yourself go too much. Treat yourself to the food. (I noticed that when I started eating only to not be hungry anymore I started hating it. If I tried to make the thing enjoyable by e.g. lighting a candle for myself or just laying the table properly it tasted a lot better )

Re: Cooking for one - how exciting

having leftover ingredients can be a pain, but every couple of days just look in the fridge, see what absolutely positively has to be eaten today and challenge yourself to create something with what is available, if you find that certain things are getting leftover all the time then stop buying them, look for alternatives or smaller packets.

Become a member of jamieoliver.com for free and access loads of lovely stuff around the site.
You'll get Jamie's latest recipes and food tips direct to your inbox, take advantage of exclusive promotions and offers, ask
Jamie and his team questions in the forums and enjoy your weekly newsletter too.

By submitting this form you consent to receiving news and updates from businesses in the Jamie Oliver Group of companies and the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. You also agree to our terms and conditions found here.

I am not a robot.

We'd love to get to know you a bit better so we only send you

news and recipes that you want to read. If you've got two

minutes to spare, it would be great if you could answer a quick questionnaire.